4A-7 - TCW [R] - Basic (CW13)

Anakin, Ahsoka and a clone trooper squad are greeted by 4A-7 at the B'omarr monastery. A spy droid, 4A-7 pretends to be the monastery's caretaker. The droid secretly records the Jedi and his team with the Huttlet and sends the holographic images to his masters as part of a devious plan to undermine the Republic.

4A-7 was a spy droid stationed at the B’omarr Monastery on Teth who tried to get in the good graces of Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano by simply explaining that he was a caretaker of the structure when indeed he was duplicitous working as an agent for Asajj Ventress. As a protocol droid that is immediately recognizable (he is essentially a Death Star Droid), it is figures like him that draw interest from the hardcore movie-only collectors. We have been recognizing Original and Prequel Trilogy characters in The Clone Wars TV series on a frequent basis now. Hasbro has been delving deeper into the OT character base and designing action figures based on them into the line. It works in so many ways because fans who normally wouldn’t collect this line may be tempted to consider these now because it is the equivalent of getting animated versions of the characters we know so well from the films. Hasbro has selected some key characters that fit into this provision and they are still able to add some all-new characters into the mix as well. They clearly aren't dumb and know that recognizable characters will probably help out their bottom line a great deal more than if they ignored them. A whole new generation of Star Wars fans are coming into the fold and purchasing this rich line of toys. 4A-7 is what we old-timers refer to as an RA-7 Droid. In fact, 4A-7 looks a lot like the RA-7 droid we got with 2004's OTC Sandcrawler Previews exclusive vehicle (and later basic carded in 2007's TAC Saga Legends line.)

4A-7 is a little less coppery and a whole lot more animated and he is extremely cool. The figure is a super-articulated and it was a fine choice to release as an action figure so early into the line. A droid really doesn’t need all of this movement in the joints, but we aren’t complaining. This protocol droid can be posed limitlessly and it is an incredible benefit to get a droid with this much articulation. It’s insane! 4A-7 borrows its design from 2008's TCW [B] C-3PO (No. 16) figure and it was a wise mold to use. 4A-7 and C-3PO have very similar bodies, so it makes sense that the action figures should be created similarly as well. 4A-7 has a beautiful paint job and Hasbro has done it so well that it exceeds our expectations. It looks like he was walking a long trek through the desert. He is covered in dirt and the wear and tear of his environments left their permanent mark on his frame. The packaging boasts "glittering eyes" although we put our sample in the brightest sunlight and didn't see too much glitter ourselves. The “action feature” is a bit of a misnomer. It may just be a thinly veiled marketing ploy, so we aren't entirely sure of Hasbro's raving claim here. There is however, a covering over the photoreceptors that makes them look like there is a bluish color applied. It is an accent that Hasbro could have neglected, but it makes the character that much cooler and it works very well. This figure has phenomenal craftsmanship and Hasbro certainly has come through for us here.

4A-7 comes with a battle droid blaster and while we were surprised to see this weapon with him, he looks pretty cool holding it. It is atypical to see protocol droids carry this arsenal which is perhaps the main reason it looks so awesome. As a bonus, Hasbro included a pretty cool holographic “miniature scene” that includes the tiniest versions of Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and the Rotta the Huttlet. It is very finely detailed and you can make out all the likenesses quite easily which is an amazing feet if you ask for our opinion. If we were to nitpick about this figure, it would have to be directed towards the head antenna. It looks too chunky and big unfortunately for the head and it may have been wiser to even disregard it altogether for the figure in general. It is a very small setback for the figure and not an issue at all. And it certainly isn't a deal breaker and we still love the figure just the same. As a result, this figure falls under the “must-have” category for us. Now that we have animated versions of Jawas and a “Death Star Droid,” you could have quite a bit of fun creating an animated diorama based on the scenes from Episode IV. (But you must of course be the proud owner of a Sandcrawler vehicle.) 4A-7 comes highly recommended to you by us. You will eventually find a reason to add him to your collection, so instead of waiting for one, pick him up today!! There is honestly no reason to wait for this figure!